A cermet cutting tool, and process for producing the same, comprising a substrate formed from titanium carbo-nitride based cermet, and a hard coating layer of average thickness 0.5.about.20 .mu.m, formed onto the surface of the cermet substrate comprising a lower layer formed from at least one layer of a compound selected from the group consisting of titanium carbide (TiC), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbo-nitride (TiCN), titanium carbo-oxide (TiCO) and titanium carbo-oxi-nitride (TiCNO), and aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3). Additionally, at least one of the layers comprising the hard coating layer is a titanium carbo-nitride layer, and at least one layer of this titanium carbo-nitride layer comprises a longitudinal growth crystal structure, and a further layer comprises a granular crystal structure. In the method of fabrication, chemical vapor deposition is performed using a reaction gas composed of 1.about.5% of TiCl.sub.4, 0.1.about.1% of CH.sub.3 CN, 0.about.25% of N.sub.2 with the remaining portion being composed of H.sub.2, under a reaction temperature of 800.degree..about.900.degree. C. and a reaction pressure of 30.about.200 Torr.